Hanger for sheet metal ducts and the like



July 29, 1969 D. D. LANZ HANGER FOR SHEET METAL DUCTS AND THE LIKE Filed July 5. 1967 DoncldDlanz BY INVENTOR United States Patent 3,458,166 HANGER FOR SHEET METAL DUCTS AND THE LIKE Donald D. Lanz, Rte. 2, Box 115, Oregon City, Oreg. 97045 Filed July .3, 1967, Ser. No. 650,779 Int. Cl. F16b /00 U.S. Cl. 248-216 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hanger for sheet metal ducts and the like comprises a stiff metal rod having on one end a spur segment adapted to be driven into a support member and on the other end an integral hanger segment comprising a portion of the bar reversely bent to provide a pair of vertically spaced support shoulders. The hanger is applied by inserting the hanger segment into an opening through the side wall of the duct and engaging one or the other of the support shoulders, thereby positioning the spur in its right or left hand position, depending upon the relative positions of the duct and the support member. The spur then is driven into the adjacent face of the support member to hang the duct.

This invention relates to hangers for suspending sheet metal ducts and the like from wooden beams or other support members.

Although various types of metal duct hangers are known to the art, these uniformly have been relatively cumbersome and difiicult to apply. In addition, separate hangers have been required for left and right hand applications, depending upon which of the faces of the overlying support structure is to be engaged by the hanger.

In its basic concept, the hanger of the present invention comprises a single length of rod having an anchor spur at one end substantially normal to the rod and at the opposite end a hanger segment offset from the rod substantially normal to the spur and providing upper and lower support shoulders for supporting a sheet metal duct in either the right or left hand position of the spur. A terminal locking and positioning segment extends from the hanger segment for maintaining the duct and hanger in interengaged relation.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a hanger for metal ducts and the like which hanger is simple and inexpensive in its construction, rapidly and easily applied, and universely applicable to left hand and right hand installations.

The foregoing object is accomplished by the provision of a hanger comprising a stiff metal rod having at one end an integral spur bent substantially at right angles to the rod and adapted to be driven into the side face of the support member from which the duct is to be suspended. The rod has at its other end an integral hanger segment reversely bent in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the spur segment to provide upper and lower support shoulders separated by a spacing segment. The hanger segment is dimensioned for insertion in an opening in the side wall of the duct, spaced downwardly from the top of the duct a distance somewhat less than the length of the spacing section of the inner segment. Upon such insertion, one or the other of the support shoulders may be engaged with the opening in the duct, thereby positioning the spur to the right or to the left depending upon the location of the support member face into which it is to be driven.

In the drawings:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are views in front and side elevation, respectively, of the herein described hanger; and

FIG. 3 and 4 are perspective views illustrating, respectively, the right hand and left hand applications of the hanger in suspending a duct from one or the other of the side faces of the support member from which the duct is suspended.

The environment in which the hanger of the invention is adapted to be used is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. It is the usual environment in which a sheet metal heating or ventilating duct 10 is suspended from a wooden beam or other support member 12. The duct is arranged at right angles to the beam with the result that potentially there are two beam faces available for mounting the hanger. This requires that the hanger be adapted for installation in either left hand or right hand positions, illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Duct 10 is provided with an opening 14 in its side wall, the opening being a spaced distance, at, downwardly from the upper corner of the duct.

The hanger of the invention, indicated generally at 16, preferably is fabricated integrally from a length of stifli metal rod having a diameter somewhat less than the diameter of opening 14,

Hanger 16 has at its upper end an integral spur segment 18 having a sharpened point. Spur segment 18 serves two functions: that of a punch for punching out opening 14 and that of a spur type fastener for driving into support member 12. To facilitate the performance of these two functions, it is formed with a reversely bent connectmg section 20 which stilfens the segment and provides a driving surface.

Hanger 16 has at its other end an integral hanger segment reversely bent in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the spur segment. Thus it forms upper and lower support or bearing shoulders 22, 24 separated by a spacing distance segment 26. The length B of the spacing segment is somewhat greater than the distance ct which measures the spacing of opening 14 downwardly from the upper margin of the duct.

Still further, the structure of the herein described hanger is characterized by the presence of a terminal locking and positioning segment 28. This is formed also as an integral extension of the rod comprising the hanger. It is reversely bent in the direction of the spacing segment and in the same plane.

The locking and positioning segment is provided with opposite bearing surfaces 30, 32 which are adapted to bear against the inner side face of duct 10 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, thereby locating and stabilizing the hanger.

To install the hanger, spur 18 is employed to drive opening 14 through duct 10.

The hanger segment of the hanger then is inserted through the opening a sufficient distance to engage the side wall of the opening with support shoulder 24, FIG. 3, or with support shoulder 22, FIG. 4, depending upon whether a left hand or right hand application is contemplated. Spur segment 18 then is driven into beam 12 to complete the installation.

It thus will be apparent that by the present invention, I have provided a hanger for sheet metal ducts and the like, which hanger is simple in its construction, easy and inexpensive to manufacture, rapid and easy to use, and universally applicable in either left or right hand installations.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A hanger for suspending from a support member a sheet metal duct having an opening in its side wall a spaced distance downwardly from its top, the hanger com prising (a) a stiff metal rod,

(b) the rod having at one end an integral spur segment extending substantially at right angles to the rod and adapted to be driven into a support member,

(c) the rod having at its other end an integral hanger segment offset in a plane substantially normal to the plane of the spur segment and including upper and lower support shoulders extending substantially normal to the rod and separated by a spacing segment,

((1) the shoulders selectively serving as duct supports in the right and left hand positions of the spur when the hanger segment is inserted in the duct opening.

2. The hanger of claim 1 including a terminal locking and positioning segment integral with the rod and coplanar With the hanger segment and extending from the References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,916,839 12/1959 Wheaton 248217 XR 2,977,081 3/1961 Austin 24848.1 3,219,302 11/1965 Smith 248-220 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner J. FRANKLIN FOSS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 248-302, 317 

